Hiking Trip
by SingerMe
Summary: Lee and Amanda and others find a band of thieves in the mountains.
1. Chapter 1

**Hiking Trip**

I don't own these characters. I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

 **AN: It's been a while since I've written anything longer than a one shot for this fandom so it's entirely possible that I may have missed something or made a mistake somewhere. If I did, please ignore it. Harsh criticism of said lapses will not be necessary. Also, I know this will be out of canon, so no need to tell me about that either. This is placed somewhere around season 2.**

 **L &AL&AL&AL&AL&AL&A**

Lee knelt under a tall spreading oak tree in the Shenandoah Mountains and tried to catch his breath. He was in excellent physical shape and prided himself on taking the best care of himself possible. But this was something else entirely. This wasn't a leisurely hike or job in the country. This was a hunt for some very bad, self-proclaimed mountain men.

If it weren't for the fact that these 'mountain men' had set themselves up as kings on federal property and were robbing people and sometimes worse, from anyone they came upon, Lee wouldn't have cared much at all about them. To his way of thinking, the mountains of Virginia as well as mountains in any other state, belonged to the American people. Anyone who was tough enough to live there and strong to thrive, deserved applause, not jail time.

But these people were something else entirely. His intel indicated that the 'Mountain Men of Virginia" as they had been dubbed by the locals, were actually little more than a gang of cutthroats who had moved into the mountains and preyed on anyone they encountered. So far, they had held three different families at gunpoint and taken everything the people had before releasing them. They had broken into cars had been parked too far into the mountains to be near security. And they kidnapped one lone woman hiker and held her for several days, raping and beating her. She survived and managed to make it out and to a ranger station, but just barely.

When Billy first briefed Lee on these men, Lee wondered aloud why they released their victims, knowing they could identify them.

"Because," Jake answered. "They are not afraid of anything or anyone. The leader, one…" Jake picked up a folder from his desk and checked his information, "Deacon Rainey, was born close to the base of those mountains. He knows every acre of them, or there about. He joined the Marines right out of high school and had reached the rank of Sergeant before being kicked out for beating up a man who 'looked at him wrong."

"Is that all?" Lee had questioned. "I mean, wasn't he prosecuted for that?"

"He was arrested." Francine answered as she consulted her notes. "But when it came time to go to trial, the man he was accused of beating backed out of testifying. Said he really couldn't remember what happened. They didn't have any other witnesses or valid proof so they had to let him go. He tried to get back into the Marines but they had a whole dossier on him of wrong doing and used it to keep him out."

"So, how'd he go from there to being the leader of a band of thugs in the mountains?" Lee asked.

"When he was kicked out of the military, he went home to his folks. We don't really have a lot of information on him for a few years after that, except scarce employment records with a local trucking company and an occasional scrape with the law." Francine answered, looking at the file in front of her.

Billy picked up the narrative. "But about three years ago, local authorities started getting reports of a couple of men harassing and sometimes even threatening hikers in and around the Shenandoah Mountains. A few months later, the reports came in that there were three men and then four and so on. The latest report shows he has about 10 men with him."

"And we're sure it's the same gang and that this Rainey character is leading them?" Lee wanted to be sure.

"That's about the only thing we are sure of." Francine put it. "That and the fact they usually target hikers who appear to have money. You know, expensive gear and clothing. It's possible that they have someone watching the parking areas and are targeting people driving expensive cars."

"So, what exactly are I supposed to do?" Lee finally got down to the question he most wanted answered. "I mean, I know it's federal land but sending out one man against 11 well-armed men…"

"I don't want you to go against them." Billy shook his head at him. "I just want you to go up there, pretend to be a hiker and see what you can find out."

"Well, what about the locals?" Lee frowned. "They're more likely to know that area better than anyone and the people as well."

"The local authorities have done their best but they are known up there. The people that live in that area are scared half to death of Rainey and his men and clam up when they see anyone that even remotely resembles the law. That and the fact that it IS federal land, is why we were called in."

Lee shook his head and looked around him again. What Billy hadn't told him and what Lee found out when he got there, was that there was one more reason why he was out there and not some other federal agency. No other federal agency wanted to tackle it. Two agents from the FBI did initially go up but were chased out of there in short order, promising never to return. Lee didn't know if Billy just kept that piece of information to himself or truly didn't know but it didn't matter now.

"You about ready to go on?"

Lee looked up at Sherriff's deputy Cliff Rand. He was Lee's point of contact for the area. He'd agreed to bring Lee up into the area where Rainey and his men were suspected of being and showing him around. Tall, with dark brown hair and chiseled features, piercing blue eyes and well-trimmed mustache, he looked more like the Marlboro man than a local yokel.

"Yeah," Lee got to his feet. "The terrain around here is steeper than I expected."

"Yeah and it doesn't get any easier from here." Rand agreed. "But somewhere up here is where Rainey and his men are so this is where we have to be."

"Well, I do at any rate." Lee looked at him speculatively. "It is my job to be up here but you were only told to bring me up, show me around and leave."

"Yes and I am." Rand agreed. "I have to check in with the Sherriff in a little bit. I just wanted to show you a high spot that you can get up on to have a better look around."

"Well, I appreciate it," Lee shook his head. "But I've got a good enough sense of the surroundings now. Besides, it's a hike back to where you parked. I wouldn't want you to be late checking in."

Rand studied Lee for a moment, before finally nodding. "Well, alright, guess you're right." Rand nodded. "But you take care up here, okay? These boys ain't nothing to be messing with. I would suggest you get out of here before too long yourself, if you don't find what you're looking for before then. You just call me on that radio and I'll come back for you."

"I will." Lee nodded. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Well, then, I'll take my leave." Rand put a hand shaking, Lee's firmly. "You take care. I'll see ya later."

Taking a deep breath, Lee nodded and watched as Rand turned and headed back to where he'd parked. Looking for the best way to go, Lee had taken just two steps before coming to another halt and turning his head to the left, listening intently.

"Okay, fellas." A cheery female voice could be heard. "Let's all take a break here. Phillip, don't call your brother worm brain."

Lee swallowed hard and the blood instantly drained from his face. "Amanda?!"

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Moving across from where he stood, Lee quietly moved aside a low hanging branch of a large tree to see Amanda and five boys kneeling in a clearing, sharing water canteens and talking quietly. Lee closed his eyes and backed away. He wasn't certain what he should do.

All intel pointed to Rainey and his men targeting only wealthy hikers and campers. Amanda certainly didn't fit that bill. But Rainey didn't know that. However, those kids didn't know about him and he didn't want them to. Looking around, Lee found a pebble and picked it up. Aiming carefully he flipped it forward hoping to get Amanda's attention.

The pebble fell short though. Quickly picking up another, Lee again tossed it in her direction. This time it hit its mark on Amanda's shoulder, causing her to turn and look behind her. Instantly, her eyes widened when she glimpsed Lee hidden in the foliage.

Barely containing her alarm, Amanda turned back and looked at the boys as they sat talking, waiting for her to move them forward. "Uh…. Boys." She quickly got their attention. "Uh, I… I need to step over there behind… behind the bushes for a moment and…"

"Why?" Freddie Hannigan wanted to know. He was the inquisitive, if a bit clumsy and overweight one of the bunch. He questioned everything he couldn't eat.

"Well, uh… because I… I…"

"You dummy." Jake Hawkins reached over and knocked his cap off. "She's gotta go to the bathroom." Taller than most of the boys and fairly muscular for one so young, Jake was cocky about his size and looks. For with blue eyes, straw blonde hair and dimpled cheeks, he knew he was a good-looking boy.

Amanda blushed but decided that was as good an excuse as any, as long as she didn't actually say it. "You boys just stay right here, I'll be right back." She said, quickly getting up and running to the bushes she'd seen Lee hiding in.

"Lee?" She whispered as she went behind the bushes and looked around. A second later, she jumped when Lee touched her on the arm. "What are you doing here?" She demanded, darting a glance out into the clearing to keep an eye on the boys. "You aren't supposed to follow me. I'm with my boys and…"

Lee reached over and grasped both of her arms, leaning in close. "Amanda, will you hush?" He shook his head at her. "I'm not following you. I didn't even know you were out here until I heard your voice. I do have a job besides looking out for you, ya know."

Amanda blinked and looked down, realizing how she'd sounded. "I know you do. But what you doing out here then?"

"There's a band of men roaming these woods, Amanda." Lee told her. "They've been breaking into cars and robbing and even hurting people that have come up here to camp or just to hike. I'm up here trying to find them. But I think you and those boys had better turn around and go back home or find some other mountain to hike on. It's not safe here."

Amanda swallowed hard as she looked up at Lee and shook her head. "I can't." She told him. "We were brought up here and left. I didn't drive. We're supposed to be here until tomorrow night. We can't go anywhere until our ride comes back."

Lee took a deep breath. "Well, do you have any way of contacting who ever brought you up here? You know, like in a case of an emergency?"

"Well, I did." Amanda sighed. "But Freddie fell on my bag shortly after we got out here and broke the radio I had. He wasn't hurt of course, but that radio sure was. Of course, you know, it wasn't really his fault so much as he's just a little clumsy but he…"

"Amanda, stop. Okay?"

Amanda stopped. "I'm sorry. It's just…"

"I know." Lee shook his head at her rambling as he rubbed the back of his head in irritation. He didn't have a car up there either. When Rand suggested leaving his car in the police parking lot, he'd agreed that it was best, in order to protect it from Rainey and his men. But even if he'd driven it, he wouldn't have been able to get Amanda and five boys as well as their equipment into his Porsche.

He did have that radio though. And even though it'd be hard to explain to Rand why he wanted transport for a woman and five kids out of the woods, he thought it the only option.

"Alright." He sighed. "I have a radio too. I'm going to contact the Sherriff's office and get someone out here to take you and the boys someplace safe until someone can come and get you."

"Lee, I don't understand." Amanda protested. "Why do we have to leave? I mean, I know you said there were men up here but there's no reason to believe they're in this area and even if they were, they wouldn't hurt a woman and five little boys. Besides, we don't have anything of value other than that radio and well, you know, Freddie broke that and…"

"Amanda." Lee's voice took on the ragged quality it always took on when she began to ramble and get on his nerves. "I don't care about that. But if you and those kids stay out here you could get hurt. Now, I'm not taking no for an answer. I'm going to call and get someone to come and get you."

Amanda wanted to say no. After all, even though he refuted it and she'd only been at the Agency for a short while, she felt that she and Lee were partners. She was supposed to back him up. But she was also supposed to take care and protect those boys. "Oh, alright." She sighed.

Lee had the radio out before she was finished speaking. But a couple of moments later he looked at it in total confusion. It wasn't working. It not only wouldn't get a signal, it wouldn't switch on at all. Kneeling down, he placed the radio on the ground and quickly worked to remove the back of it.

"What's wrong?" Amanda asked as she watched him. It looked like he was tearing the radio apart.

"It's not working." He answered, as he got the back off and quickly checked for batteries, which were there. Everything was there but it still wasn't working. "Well," he sighed as he stood up. "I guess the battery's dead."

"Well, what do we do now?" Amanda took a look around them and then cautiously pulled the bushes back to check on the boys.

"We get out of this area." Lee decided as he started forward.

"Lee." Amanda quickly grabbed his arm. "My boys are out there. They're not supposed to know about you."

Lee stopped, thinking about the situation. He had a bad feeling that Rainey and his men were lurking somewhere about. If that was the case, he was in danger along with anyone with him. However, he couldn't just take off and leave Amanda and those boys out there alone. Rainey had plenty enough men to take him as well as Amanda and the boys if they were separated. Finally he looked at Amanda and shook his head.

"Well, whether they are supposed to or not, they're going to. Amanda we could be in trouble up here and I think it's best we stay together, for a little while at least, to protect the boys as well as ourselves."

But Amanda wasn't quite willing to believe that. "Lee, we're not in trouble. How could we be? I mean, true, we don't have any radios but our Scout leader will be back tomorrow night to pick us up and we have plenty of equipment and stuff to take care of us until then. Besides, look around you. There's no one out here but us."

Just as Amanda said that, sounds could be heard coming from behind and to the north of them, sounds of several people walking through the woods. Instantly, Lee grabbed Amanda by the arm and pushed her forward. "Go." He ordered.

Still unsure of any danger, Amanda did trust Lee however. So quickly, she went back to the where the boys were and knelt down next to them. "Boys, grab your stuff and hurry. We've got to get out of here."

"Why, Mom?" Phillip asked.

"Because, it's not safe here." Lee answered as he came up behind her. "Now come on, let's go."

All of the boys looked at this stranger curiously, but with Amanda's encouragement, they got to their feet, grabbed their backpacks and hurried through the woods following the two adults.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Just a quick note to say thank you to those I couldn't PM. I do appreciate the kind reviews.**

Lee, leading the way, took them south and to the west of their previous location. He didn't know these woods and had no idea where he was going other than away from the people they'd heard coming in from behind them. Of course Lee had no idea who those people were and the footfalls they heard could've been just some other hikers or even an animal of some kind. But he doubted that.

About a half hour later, Lee brought them to a halt. They had run a long way and were all gasping for breath. Amanda came to a stop beside him and anxiously looked around. After making sure the boys were all with them and safe, she turned her attention to the woods behind them, listening intently.

"Lee, I think we outran them." She whispered.

Lee looked at her with a frown. "Why are you whispering?"

"Well," she tried to subtly jerk her head at the boys giving her the appearance of someone with a nervous tick.

But Lee got the point and shook his head at her. "Amanda, they probably already know something's up and if they don't they need to. As for those people…" he shrugged, "maybe, maybe not."

Amanda's eyes widened. "You mean, they could be behind us still?" She was still whispering.

"I mean," Lee answered truthfully, "that it could be what we heard was an animal or some other innocent hikers or the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees."

Amanda looked at him disbelieving. "You don't believe that, do you?"

Lee's nonchalance fell from him and he quickly shook his head. "No. But I think we're safe for now which means we have time to stop and get our bearings and then decide how to get out of here."

Amanda took another look around then back at Lee. "Well, we were about two hours south of the main road when he took off and judging by where the sun is…. I'd say we're about 3 hours south of the main road now."

Lee looked at her in amazed consternation. "How do you know that by looking at the sun?"

"Well," she shrugged, "the sun sets in the west and it's over there so that way has to be north." She pointed to their right.

"Uh, mom?" Jamie called. But Amanda didn't hear him.

"Uh, what about the moss always grows on the north side of the trees thing?" Lee not subtly reminded her of what she'd told him just last Christmas when they'd gone to bring in a rogue agent named Janus.

"Mom." Jamie called again. This time, Amanda heard him but what Lee said caused her to look at the trees around them. There moss on them but it was on the side opposite of what it should be if she was right. "Uh, well…."

"Uh huh." Lee smiled victoriously. "You know, I've done a little research on the woods myself, Miss Boy Scout of the year. It turns out that moss actually grows on the wettest side of a tree, which is usually but not always the north side. So that moss doesn't prove anything."

"Yes it does." Amanda shook her head at him. "It…"

"Mom!" Jamie tried again.

Jamie finally caught her complete attention and she turned to her youngest son. "What, Jamie?"

"I have a compass you know." He said, holding out the small round object. "It works better than moss."

Amanda reddened and dropped her head. She was the one that insisted the boys carry compasses on this trip in order to make it easier to find their way. She'd been so intent to proving a point to Lee that she'd forgotten. "Uh, thank you, Jamie." She smiled at her son and avoided Lee's triumphant smile.

Accepting the compass, she held it up and let it settle for a moment. She'd actually been right in the first place. North was behind them. "Well," she sighed as she handed the compass back to Jamie. "Like I said, we need to head back that way."

Lee reluctantly agreed. "Alright, but I think we need to go a little to the west some more before heading back north. We go straight back the way we came and we could very well run smack into…" He stopped when he saw the boys listening intently to him.

Amanda understood and quickly nodded. "Yes, I think you're right. But I also think we're all a little too tired to run any more. Why don't we just walk instead?"

Lee didn't object. Although he doubted she or the energetic boys were all that tired, he figured it best they conserve their energy for later, just in case. "Let's go." He said and then stopped again, turning to Jamie. "Uh, could I use your compass to make sure we're staying on the right course?"

Eagerly Jamie nodded and handed the compass to him.

"Thanks," Lee smiled at him and then, compass in hand, turned for the west.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

They walked for three hours before taking a brief break and then starting again. An hour later, they finally reached the road. Though deserted at the moment, it offered them hope of a way out.

Looking at the compass again, Lee nodding to his right. "Back that way for an hour or so is the parking area. I might be able to find someone there willing to give us a ride out of here."

But Amanda quickly shook her head and pulled Lee away from the boys. "Lee, that's going right back to a dangerous area." She whispered fiercely. "Didn't you say those men were breaking into cars too? We can't take these boys right back into a dangerous area. It's a dangerous area."

Lee mentally rolled his eyes. "Amanda, I know it's a 'dangerous area' but I didn't say 'we'. I said 'I' was going back up there. I want you and the boys to stay right here but just out of sight. Don't go out into the road and don't let anyone see you unless it's me. Okay?"

"No, it's not okay." Amanda glared at him. "Lee, you can't go back up there alone. What if those men are up there?"

"Amanda." Lee's voice took on a stern note, even if inside, a part of him was happy that she was worried about him. "Nothing is going to happen to me. I'm an agent; remember? This kind of stuff is second nature to me. I know what I'm doing."

"You didn't know your contact left you out here alone with a dead radio." Amanda pointed out rather smugly.

Lee dropped his head and gave her a disparaging look. "Look, just stay here with the boys and keep a look out, okay? With any luck, I'll be back before too long with a way out of here."

Amanda wanted to argue the point a little further, but Lee gave her no chance as he swiftly turned and began heading up the road towards the parking area.

"Mom?" Phillip moved up next to her watching the stranger heading away from them. "Where's he going?"

"Probably right towards trouble." Amanda answered as she shook her head.

Lee quickly fell into a rhythm and was soon comfortably jogging east towards the parking lot. Though he was concerned for Amanda and the boys, he knew she could take care of herself and them too. Lee seldom stopped to examine his feelings concerning Amanda because when he did, he got completely confused. So instead he relied on what he knew about her. And he knew he count on her to keep the boys safe while he looked for a way out for all of them.

That settled in his mind, Lee turned his thoughts to Rainey. Why the man and his cohorts are doing what they were, was not hard to figure. They had their own little fiefdom up here in the mountains and living quite comfortably on other people's money.

But where Rainey was, was another question. That he and his men were up here was not in question, but just exactly 'where' up here? That was what he was supposed to find out. But he couldn't do that and keep Amanda and those kids safe at the same time.

Or could he? Maybe if he could find a ride, he could send Amanda and the boys away and then stay up there himself to do the job he was sent to do. Lee nodded to himself. "Yeah, that's what I'll do."

But plans don't always work out the way you want them to. When Lee neared the parking lot, he instinctively dove into the woods, approaching the area under cover. He didn't expect trouble, but there was no need to take chances. As he got closer and closer though, he realized he was right to be cautious. There were 4 cars in the small parking area and 3 of those had their doors standing open. The 4th had three men currently going through it from back to front.

"Damn," Lee muttered. Apparently Rainey and his men were active today, at least three of them were. But reports were that Rainey had ten men with him, which meant there were 8 men still out roaming the woods. Lee studied the three men around the car for a moment. He was pretty sure he could take them but he had no way of knowing where the other men were and 1 against 11 was not his kind of odds unless he was one of the 11.

The thought of odds gave Lee another thought and he realized he needed to go back to Amanda and the boys. Taking another look at the men and then his surroundings, Lee carefully left the area under as heavy a cover as he could and began the long run back down to where he'd left Amanda and the boys.

After Lee had left them, Amanda looked at the boys around her and saw the questions on the faces. The main questions were asked by Phillip.

"Mom, who is that man? You kept calling him Lee. Do you know him? How'd he get out here? What's he doing out here?"

Amanda took a breath, realizing Phillip wasn't completely like his father. "Phillip, I'll tell you all everything I can in a minute. But first, I think we need to take some precautions."

"For what?" Jake Hawkins wanted to know.

"For… in case." Amanda answered as she studied the area they were in. It was a small clearing with a thin line of trees between it and the road. The woods, directly behind them, were thick but fairly easy to get through.

Though she was pretty certain, with the heavy leaf cover, they could hear anyone coming in from behind them before they got there, she knew it wouldn't make much difference if they didn't have a means of escape or protection from that person, or persons. Amanda scanned the trees and then the ground around them. She thought she just might be able to protect them all without having a gun or the need for one.

"Boys, I have an idea."

Though winded from the long run to the parking area and the run back, Lee was still on alert and cautious as he approached the area where he'd left Amanda and the boys. Deciding it best to approach from the wooded side, as opposed to the road side, Lee moved deeper into the surrounding forest and then slowly towards the clearing.

When he got there, he was surprised. Amanda and the boys were gone. Though he was no woodsman, Lee was fairly certain this was the place he'd left them. Confused, he took a couple of bold steps into the clearing when suddenly an explosion of movement and sound assaulted him from every side.

While one boy hit his shin a pretty good whack with a small piece of wood, three others literally jumped from an overhead tree branch to land on his back, driving him to his knees while Amanda and another one moved in for the kill with large clubs made of salvaged tree limbs. If Amanda hadn't of recognized Lee at the last moment, he would've been down for the count.

"Hold it!" Amanda yelled. "Boys stop!" Quickly, she dropped the branch she was holding and began to pull the boys off of a disheveled, irritated and bruised Lee Stetson. "Oh, Lee, I'm so sorry." She gasped as she bent down to help him up. "We… we didn't know it was you. We were just trying to protect ourselves and well, you know, we didn't have a gun or anything, not that we would use one if we had, but well, we… we had to do something. I mean, we couldn't stand here like sitting ducks and wait, although I guess if we were sitting ducks we'd be sitting but still…"

"Amanda, it's okay." Lee frowned at her as he knocked forest debris off of his clothes, inspected tear in his slacks and gingerly probed the small lump on the back of his head. He was irritated at being attacked but at the same time, curiously, proud of Amanda for thinking of such an attack. He was just glad she recognized him before they did anything else to him.

"How'd you all plan all this?" He asked curiously.

"It was easy!" Timmy Ramsey grinned at Lee. He'd been Lee's smallest and yet most furious attacker. "Mrs. King figured it out."

Lee glanced at Amanda and shook his head. "Well, it worked but it worked on the wrong person. If Rainey or his men are anywhere around here, they probably heard your little attack. So we need to move on."

"Did you get a ride then?" Amanda asked hopefully.

"No." Lee answered. He started to tell her what he saw but the boys standing them stopped him. There was no need to scare them. "Tell you everything later. Come on, we've got to get going."

Amanda wanted to ask what had happened and why but following Lee's gaze as he looked at the kids with them, she decided all questions could wait. "Alright, boys." She clapped her hands. "Let's get our packs and move out. Come on." She put as much exuberance into her voice as she could but when she glanced at Lee, he saw the worry and even fear she had.

"It'll be alright, Amanda." He whispered to her as she came near him. "It'll be alright."

With going east out of the question, Lee and Amanda herded the boys west, constantly staying in the trees as much as possible and stopping any time they heard something that didn't sound right.

They made slow progress and Lee was beginning to get frustrated. "Amanda." He pulled her to his side as they walked along behind the kids. "At this pace, we're never going to get out of here. I've got to find us some transportation."

"But how?" Amanda whispered back. "We've been walking for about an hour now and we've not heard or seen a car anywhere and…" She suddenly stopped talking and visibly paled as she gripped Lee's arm and nodded to their left.

Lee frowned at her and then followed the direction of her gaze, swallowing hard, when he realized what she was looking at. "Amanda, take the boys on. Don't let them look in that direction." He quietly directed her as he walked away from her.

Amanda grimaced and then hurried towards the boys, ushering them forward and as far from Lee as possible. Things had just taken a drastic turn for the worse.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Lee carefully and cautiously approached the prone figure on the forest floor. Reaching inside his lightweight jacket, he gripped his gun and pulled it up. The man may be as dead as he appeared, or it could be a trap. Lee was taking no chances.

Holding his gun out and ready to fire, Lee stepped up next to the man on the ground and gently nudged him with his foot. He didn't move. Again Lee nudged him. "Hey, mister. You okay?" He asked. The man remained still. With a shake of his head, Lee bent down to check the man's neck for a pulse, when the dead body suddenly sprang into life, rolled over and grabbed Lee by the arm, pulling him down to the ground and punching him, trying for Lee's gun.

Lee was no lightweight and his fighting skills were above the bar but this man seemed to have the strength of two men and knew some moves, Lee had never seen. Before Lee knew what was happening, he was lying on his back, with his assailant over him, being fiercely pummeled. Lee reached up and managed to get his hands on the man's throat, hoping to cut off his air, but the exact opposite seemed to be happening. Lee was beginning to lose his air and the world around him was growing a little darker.

Suddenly, the weight on top of him lessened as the man instantly stopped his attack and toppled over sideways to lie unconscious beside him.

"LEE!" Amanda dropped the heavy tree limb she'd hit his attacker with and quickly knelt down beside him. "Are you okay? How bad did he hurt you? What can I do? Lee, how bad is it? Is…"

"It's alright, Amanda." Lee waved her off with his left hand as his right hand carefully knuckled the blood on his split lip. "I'll be okay." He winced when he got up but he didn't care, he was just grateful he was able to get up, unlike his attacker. "What'd you hit him with?"

Amanda displayed the branch she'd knocked him out with. "I couldn't find anything smaller. I sure hope I didn't hurt him too bad."

Lee looked at the small tree sized limb and then at her. He was grateful for her, proud of her and irritated at her but not staying away and keeping the boys at a safe distance. But he chose not to mention any of those things. Instead, he bent down, and hurriedly turned the man on his back. "Amanda, do you or the boys have any…" He stopped when Amanda handed him a length of tent cord.

"Will this do?" She smiled sweetly as she handed it to him.

Lee said nothing as he grabbed the cord and hastily tied the man's hands together behind his back, pocketing the gun he found in his belt. "There," he stated when he finished. "That'll keep him for now. At least it'll give you and the boys a chance to get out of here before he comes to."

"Get out of here?" Amanda frowned. "Lee, we can't leave you now. This guy could've killed you. And if he's got friends around here…"

"That's exactly why I want you all out of here." Lee snapped at her with a glaring look. He couldn't explain it to himself, much less her, but it was imperative to him, personally, that she be some place safe.

Taking a deep breath, he dropped his head before speaking again. Finally he looked up at her. "Look, Amanda, you have the lives of those boys to be responsible for. Now, I doubt this guy is out here alone. That means his buddies could join us at any time. And I don't want you all here if they do. Do you understand?"

"I understand that it's not safe out here, Lee." Amanda replied stubbornly. "And if that man does have friends out here, we will be in danger whether we're together or not. Lee, wouldn't it be safer for us, if you're here to protect us? Remember you said earlier we should stay together."

Lee scrubbed the back of his aching head and turned away for a moment. She was right. "Alright." He finally sighed. "But we've got to stop running from shadows."

Amanda frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lee didn't answer right away, as he scanned the surrounding woods. When he saw what he was looking for, he nodded his head towards the kids. "Get the boys and follow me." Bending down, he picked up the still unconscious man with a grunt and threw him across his shoulder. "Hurry, Amanda."

Amanda wasn't sure what he was planning, but she trusted him enough to do as he asked. "Boys. Hurry. Come on. Let's go."

"Mom?" Phillip asked as he and the others started following her. "What's going on? Who is that guy? Who's the other guy?"

Amanda realized she hadn't told the boys much at all as she hadn't had much time. Stopping, she turned back around to her son's and the other boys she was responsible for. "Okay, look, fellas. I know you have a bunch of questions and I intend to answer them, but not right this second. We've got to do a few things first, then I'll see if I can explain all of this. Okay?"

With silently glum nods of the head, the boys shrugged and continued to follow Amanda. They had seen her do some strange things out here after she and this man named Lee had met up and it confused them. Who was this guy? How did she know him? What about this second guy? Who was he and why did she hit him so hard with the branch?

As they walked, Amanda was wondering about the answers to those questions, herself. One thing was for sure, she couldn't tell the boys the truth. But as inventive as her mind could be, she was falling way short of ideas of what she could tell them.

Walking way ahead of all of them, Lee, attacker on his shoulder, was hoping against hope, the plan he had in mind would work. He had no proof that his captive was one of Rainey's men but it seemed the mostly likely answer. If this man was one of them, then hopefully he could use him to get to the rest of them.

When he got to the place he had spotted, he stopped and unloaded his burden onto the ground. Looking around, he was satisfied which his choice. It was small area, surrounded by rocks on three sides and though there were plenty of trees, they weren't so large to shield anyone wishing to attack them. Amanda and the boys moved up beside him and stared down at the would-be bandit and then up at Lee.

"What's ya gonna do with him, Mister?" Jake wanted to know.

Lee looked at Jake and then the rest of the kids. He certainly couldn't do what he really wanted to do, because beating the information out of this man wouldn't look good in front of a bunch of small boys. Amanda wouldn't appreciate it either. But there were other ways.

"Well," Lee answered as he bent down and moved the man so that he was sitting up, his back against a rock. "We're going to see if we can wake this man up and ask him questions."

"How ya gonna do that?" Jamie asked. He didn't know this stranger, although his mom obviously did, and he was wary of him but still curious.

Lee looked at the boys and noticed one of them, a short, wide young man with a brown pageboy haircut and too tight clothes, had a canteen on his shoulder. "Son? Can I borrow some of your water there?" Lee gestured to the canteen.

When the boy didn't move, Amanda laid a hand on his shoulder. "Freddie, let him use your canteen."

"There ain't any water." Freddie answered. "I was thirsty."

Lee sighed. "Okay, anybody else got any water?" When he was answered with a chorus of shaking heads, Lee dropped his head and took a deep breath before looking at Amanda, who shrugged.

"I gave my water to Phillip." She said softly.

Lee shook his head. "Well, I've got to get this guy awake so I can talk to him." Reaching over, he lightly slapped the man's face several times on each cheek. "Hey, buddy. Come on now, wake up. Come on."

The man remained as he was, silent and still, with eyes closed. Lee looked back up at Amanda. "Got any strong perfume or anything strong smelling?"

Amanda shook her head but Freddie stepped forward. "I have some limburger cheese."

Lee raised his brows but with a slight shrug, he holds out his hand, already wrinkling his nose at the expected stench. When the boy laid the offending piece of cheese in his hand, Lee leaned back as he carefully waved it in front of the man's nose. The reaction was almost instantaneous as the man violently jerked away from Lee, coughing and mumbling as the smell hit him.

"Hey, what the he…"

Lee quickly slapped him and handed the cheese back to Freddie. "Watch your language."

The nearly bald headed man with a scruffily bearded face and dark, angry eyes glared at Lee and then looked around at Amanda and the boys. "What happened? What's this?" He demanded. "Who are you?"

"Uh huh." Lee shook his head. "Sorry, fella but you're gonna answer my questions first."

"I ain't tellin' you nothing." The man sneered contemptuously. "You hurt me."

Lee chuckled. "I didn't. She did." He nodded at Amanda who blushed slightly. "And if you're not a really good boy and don't tell me what I want to know, I'll set her loose on you again."

Amanda knew Lee was bluffing because she knew she'd not be able to bring herself to hurt anyone who was tied up. But she did her best to straighten her shoulders and act tough.

The man glanced at her somewhat concerned but turned an insolent stare to Lee. "She don't scare me."

Lee knew he was losing, as he knew Amanda wouldn't do anything more than she already had unless someone's life depended on it. And Lee was not going let this man get a chance to cause that. But suddenly, a grin lit his face and he glanced back at Freddie. "Freddie, hand me back that cheese."

Obediently, Freddie handed him back the atrocious smelling stuff and Lee moved in close to his captive with it. "How about some cheese?" He grinned.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Pam(Guest) your daughter has great tastes in names. And thank you for the compliment.**

Lee knelt down a distance from the group and vigorously scrubbed his hands with leaves, trying to eradicate the smell of the cheese. His captive, one Louie Shaw, was still complaining about the smell of the odious orange chunck that Lee had pushed into his face and the pain in his ankle where Phillip had kicked him. Lee hadn't asked for Phillip's help, but he had to admit, it served the purpose of convincing Louie that he'd best start talking.

And talk he did. Louie was a bit afraid of not only having to inhale more of the pungent cheese but also the woman and kids around him. Women and kids always made him nervous, even his own. That was why he'd come out into these mountains and lived the life he did. So, he sighed and told Lee most of what he wanted to know.

He was a part of Deacon Rainey's men, he confirmed, and he did know where their hideout was. Although, no matter how threatened he felt, he wasn't about to reveal that. He was more afraid of Deacon Rainey than anyone else. He did tell Lee, though, that he and the rest of the men routinely spread out across the mountains and lay in wait for unsuspecting hikers, much as he had earlier.

If they spotted a group of people, Rainey and his men would all take them together. But if one of Rainey's men was alone, he would track them to see where they camped, gather the rest of their gang and then attack them at night. If one of Rainey's men came upon a lone hiker, he took him. Because Lee had sent Amanda on, Louie had thought Lee was alone, so he followed the last method.

So, Lee knew a little more now than he did before but not enough to help. In order to put a stop to Deacon Rainey and his gang, Lee needed to know where his hideout was. If he could find that, he could hopefully arrest those men and find evidence against them.

"Lee?" Amanda stepped up next him. "What are we going to do?" She glanced over her shoulder at Louie, who was being guarded by the five boys. "We can't take that man with us. And we can't leave him out here alone tied up. And we sure can't let him loose. If we did that, he'd run right back to his gang and then we'd…"

"Amanda, stop." Lee lightly gripped her arms, steering her out of earshot of Louie and the boys. "That's it!"

Amanda eyed him curiously. "What's it? What are you talking about?"

"I've been trying to figure out how to find Louie, over there's, gang and you just figured it out for me. All we have to do is leave him here with his ropes slightly undone. When he finally gets loose, you and the boys will be long gone and I'll be waiting to follow him back to Rainey's hideout." Lee was proud of that idea but confused at Amanda's reaction. "What's wrong?" He asked when she folded her arms across her chest and shook her head no.

"We are not leaving you, Lee." Amanda declared. "You know what happened last time you sent us on. It could happen again and I'm not going to let it."

Lee closed his eyes and silently counted to ten. There was no way he was going to storm into a robbing, thieving gang's hideout with a woman and five kids in tow. But he had to find a way to make her understand that without making it sound as it already did in his own mind.

"Amanda," he shook his head. "Do I need to remind you again that you have those boy's safety to think about? Not only would it be unsafe but think of the noise. How am I going to go creeping through the woods with a whole troop of people behind me. They'd see and hear us coming before we knew what was happening."

"But, Lee…"

"No, Amanda." Lee cut her off with as stern a voice as he could master after looking at the pleading in her eyes. For some reason, Amanda's soft brown eyes had a way of doing a number on him and could make him cave before he knew it. But he had to remain strong on this. He couldn't let her go with him. "Now, you and the boys are going to pick up your packs, walk out to that road and get out of here as fast as you can. We no longer need to stay together. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you." Amanda said sullenly. "But you're going to regret it."

Lee shook his head at the folly of that thought. But a couple of hours later, he did regret it very much.

After, finally taking their leave of Lee, Amanda and the boys walked some distance towards the road. But despite Lee's orders, Amanda wasn't about to abandon him and that is exactly how she viewed it.

"Boys." She looked at each small face in turn. "I am afraid that Mr. Stetson, back there, is going to need help whether he admits it or not. So I want to do that. But I need you all to help me so that I can."

"Help you how?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, mom?" Phillip joined in. "What do you want us to do?"

"Why should we do anything?" Jake chipped in. "I mean we don't know this guy."

"Jake…" Amanda started to say, but little Timmy Ramsey tugged at her jacket. Timmy, the shortest and quietest of all the boys, was like a little mouse most times. You seldom knew he was there unless he made a mess, which he seldom did. With dark red hair, thick glasses and a smattering of freckles across his face, he looked to be just as angelic as he usually was. "What Timmy?' She bent down to hear him as he didn't talk very loud.

"I gotta pee." He whispered.

Amanda hid a grin and pointed to a large rock, just across from them. "Alright, Timmy. Just go over there behind that rock. Okay?"

Nodding, Timmy trudged to the appointed rock and quickly went behind it.

"Okay, fellas." Amanda looked at the remaining 4 boys. "We've got to figure out a plan for Mr. Stetson. So I want…"

"But, mom." Phillip interrupted her. "You didn't tell us who he was."

"Yeah." Jamie agreed. "You didn't tell us who he was."

Amanda knew she wasn't going to get past that for too long and now it was time to tell her. "Oh, uh, Mr. Stetson is…" Suddenly, a yelp could be heard from back behind the rock where Timmy went. Frowning, Amanda turned her head in that direction. "Timmy?"

Timmy didn't answer and Amanda instantly went on alert. "Boys, you stay here." She whispered to them. "If Timmy and I don't come back out in a couple of minutes, I want you to run and don't look back. You hear me?"

"But, Mom…"

"Phillip!" Amanda spoke sharply only because she needed her sons to be safe. "Don't argue. If we don't come back out, go and find Mr. Stetson." Without leaving them time for an argument, Amanda hurried to the rock that Timmy had disappeared behind and ran behind it herself. She'd barely taken two steps out of the other's boy's sight, when two massive arms, wrapped around her and a hand was clamped over her mouth.

"Gotcha." A deep male voice chuckled softly in her ear. "Boys, go round up them kids." He spoke to the 6 other men she now saw standing in front of her.

Instantly, Amanda started struggling to get loose. The man's hold on her was too tight. She couldn't break free. But she could bite and she did so, hard. When the man removed his hand from her mouth, she started screaming. "RUN! PHILLIP, JAMIE, BOYS RUN!" She managed to yell before the man who held her, quickly whirled her around and punched her, knocking her out cold.

The boys exchanged worried glances but instantly did as told and took off, running hard and fast. The men sent after them couldn't keep up and the boys were soon on their way to Lee.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Lee sat quietly some distance away, watching Louie as he struggled to free himself from the ropes. He apparently wasn't too adept at getting himself free. But Lee's mind wasn't only on the bad guy. He was also thinking of Amanda. They'd been partners of a sort for two years now and she still confused him. At times she was bumbling and rambling in her speech and completely irritating. But at other times, she was competent, fierce, smart, and utterly adorable.

It was that last part that he was having the most trouble with. Amanda wasn't his type. She was a jeans and sweat shirt type of woman. A housewife with kids and a mortgage and a mother and lips that he so badly wanted to kiss at times with a body, in the right dress, that drove him wild and she… Lee forcefully stopped himself from going any further. Amanda, no matter how beautiful and yes, even sexy, was his partner. Nothing more. He had best keep that in mind, no matter how hard it was.

Trying to shake her image from his mind, Lee returned his gaze to Louie just as he heard crashing sounds behind him and turned to see four of the boys running towards him.

"Mr. Stetson!" Phillip called as he saw him. "Mr. Stetson! You gotta come. You gotta!"

Lee didn't have to ask if anything was wrong. "Where's your mom? What happened?" He gripped Phillip by the shoulders when he reached him.

"Some men took mom and Timmy." Jamie answered before Phillip could.

Phillip nodded. "Mom told us to run and find you. There were a bunch of men and they were scary."

"Yeah," Jake chimed in. "They were bad dudes alright."

Freddie, who was desperately trying to catch his breath vigorously and silently nodded his his head in agreement with what was said.

"What are we gonna do?" Jamie moaned. He most definitely didn't like this turn of events.

Lee looked down at Amanda's sons and the other two boys then straightened his shoulders. "We're going to get your mom back. Come on."

The boys exchanged shrugs but gladly followed Lee as he resolutely moved towards the still bound Louie. Lee thought he'd loosened the ropes enough for Louie to free himself, but apparently not. For that, Lee was now glad.

As soon as he reached the hapless bandit, Lee reached down and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him to his feet. "Alright, Louie." He snarled into the man's face. "Games over. You're going to tell me where your hideout is or I am going to tear you from limb to limb. You get me?"

Louie swallowed hard as he regarded the furious expression on Lee's face. The man meant business and Louie had no doubt he would carry out his threat if he didn't. Even the thought of what Deacon Rainey would do to him if he talked, paled in comparison to this man. "I…. I'll show you." He answered.

"Then let's go, shall we?" Lee pushed him forward. "Come on boys." He called over his shoulder at the wide-eyed youngsters.

They walked quickly, yet quietly. There were a couple of times that Lee suspected Louie was leading them astray but it didn't take him long to force Louie to get them back on the right path. When they neared the camp, Lee pulled them to a stop atop a small ridge just above the camp. He didn't ask Louie if this was the right place and he didn't hesitate when he pulled his fist back and quickly put Louie back to sleep.

"Dang!" Jake muttered when Lee punched Louie. "Hope I never make ya mad."

Lee grinned but didn't reply as he looked around. He could see a clearing not too far away from the base of the ridge he was standing on. There was log cabin at the edge of it and several tents sitting just outside the circle of cleared ground. Lee figured that was to protect them from any planes flying overhead. His grin widened. They didn't know that it wasn't planes they needed to be worried about.

For several long moments more, Lee studied the camp, looking for any sign that would tell him exactly where Amanda and the other boy was. Most likely, she was in the cabin, but he'd really like to know for sure. There were three men, dressed in camouflage, much like Louie, roaming around the clearing. He saw another man, sitting just outside of a tent, working on something but he couldn't tell what. As he watched, the cabin door opened and three more men came out, talking.

He had Louie with him, so that left 3 men unaccounted for. He couldn't count on the three men he saw in the parking lot still being there so he had to assume they around and plan to deal with 10 men in order to get Amanda and Timmy back. All of the men looked armed and combat ready. They wouldn't be easy to take. But he had to take them to get Amanda back.

Question was, how did he do that?

"Mister?" Lee turned to see Jamie staring intently at him. "Is my mom down there?"

Lee took a breath. He could see the very real fear on the boy's face, his brother's too and he knew all of the boys were worried about Amanda and their friend. He needed to reassure them but he couldn't lie to them. Normally, in a situation like this, he would leave Amanda to handle it. But Amanda wasn't here, her sons were and he had to take care of them, not just for her, but for himself as well.

"I think she is." He finally answered. "And I promise to do my absolute best to get her out of there along with your friend. But I've got to figure out a way to do that?"

"We'll help." Phillip stepped up beside his brother and placed an arm around his shoulder.

Pausing, Lee considered that idea as he looked at the darkening sky. It was getting late and would most likely be dark in an hour or so. Suddenly a thought stirred in his mind. "Boys, maybe you can help. Let's sit down for a few minutes and talk."

Inside the cabin, Amanda sat, her hands tied behind her, and Timmy next to her, while Deacon Rainey and two other men sat a table drinking, playing cards and occasionally giving her very unsettling looks. She had wriggled her arms as much as possible, trying desperately to get loose but the ropes were too tight. Apparently flexing her arms before they were tied up, didn't help to make the ropes loose afterward.

Amanda looked over at Timmy, seeing the fear in his eyes but also the defiance and unwillingness to show fear in any other way. She was proud of him, of all of her scouts and if she ever got the chance, she'd tell them that. But right then, her chances didn't look too good. She had to find a way to increase them.

Glancing at the men again, she leaned close and spoke softly. "Timmy, I'm going to try and get them to take you outside. If they do, I want you to try and get away. Do you understand?"

Timmy nodded at her with a frown. "But what about…"

"I'll be fine." She assured him. "Just do as I say if they take you out there. Okay?"

Timmy glanced fearfully at the men and looked back at Amanda and nodded. "Okay." He whispered.

"Uh, sir?" She hated garnering these men's attention, especially the tall man with the salt and pepper hair, mustache and goatee. Though he appeared neatly groomed and dressed and even spoke intelligently, he was the scariest of them all. However, she had to do something.

"What do you want?" The man asked as he raised his head and stared intently at her. "Timmy…" She stopped and swallowed hard. "Timmy… uh has to… to go to the…" She jerked her head towards the door, hoping he would understand what she meant.

He did. Grinning, he stood up and approached her. "Got to pee?"

Amanda nodded, not meeting his gaze.

For several seconds Deacon Rainey stood and watched the brunette. He was seldom interested in a woman for more than one thing. And though this one definitely interested him in that way, he could sense something more about her. This woman was smart and more. As much as he enjoyed his little kingdom in the woods, without constant female companionship, he knew he'd most likely enjoy it more should he have someone like her.

Finally, he glanced over the little boy who did seem to be in some sort of distress. He turned back to the table. "Leo, take the boy outside to the outhouse."

"Me?" The thin, wiry fellow with greasy blonde hair and drooping mustache turned frowning brown eyes on his superior. "Why me? I hate kids."

"I didn't tell you to adopt him." Deacon growled. "Just take the kid outside and let him pee. Now move."

Leo grumbled some more and offered Deacon a completely dissatisfied look but throwing his chair back, he got to his feet and went over to Timmy. "Come on, Kid." He said as he grabbed Timmy by the shoulder of his shirt and headed him towards the door.

"And you two stay out there for a while." Deacon called out to him before he closed the door behind him. "A long while."

Amanda paled, having an idea of why Rainey did that. That idea was confirmed when Deacon looked at the other man.

"You too, Creel. Me and the lady need some privacy."

Creel glanced at Amanda and then back at Rainey but he said nothing as he rose, grabbed his beer bottle and left the cabin.

When the door was closed again and secured, Deacon turned his attention back to Amanda. "Now." He smiled as he reached down and gently cupped Amanda's breast. "I think it's time we got acquainted."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Lee stood quietly, just outside of the camp, close enough to clearly see the cabin door as well as the tents and waited for time to act. The kids were in place for their part and he was only waiting for the right time to strike. When that would be, he wasn't quite sure, but he knew he'd recognize it when it came.

Just then, the cabin door opened and a man emerged, pushing little Timmy out in front of him.

"Let me go!" Timmy yelled.

The man ignored him as he continued to push the boy towards a rickety little shed structure which was very close to where Lee stood. Lee realized the time to act was just about to be. Holding his breath, he moved imperceptibly to his left so that he was hidden in the shadows, right next to the shed.

Leo gave Timmy another shove as they neared the shed, unprepared for what happened next. Timmy took a stumbling step forward, but he suddenly turned and kicked Leo in the shin and then the knee before turning again and running, right past Lee without knowing it.

Lee grinned as he waited for Leo to run after Timmy, grabbed him by the arm and dropped him within a couple of moments and without a sound. His knuckles were now singing to him but he didn't care. Two bad guys down was worth it.

As he straightened up, Lee saw that Timmy had come back and was standing quietly at his side. Placing his finger to his lips, Lee picked Timmy up and moved away from the clearing before setting him back down and bending down close to him. "You okay?" He whispered.

Timmy nodded. "I'm okay but they got Mrs. King."

"I know." Lee answered. "Is she in the cabin?"

"Yeah," Timmy nodded again just as Phillip appeared next to them.

"Okay," Lee said as he stood back up and looked over at Phillip. "It's time to act, he told Amanda's oldest. Tell the others and take Timmy with you."

"You going in?" Phillip asked. "I am." Lee answered. "Now go."

Lee didn't spare the boys another look as he trusted them to do their part. Quickly moving back to where he'd left Leo, Lee bent down put a rag in the man's mouth then turned him over and tied his wrists together with some more tent cord. When he and the boys sat down to talk, he asked the boys for anything from their packs that could be used in this attack. With each item they pulled out, Lee's admiration for the scouts rose.

Now, armed with flashlights and whistles and tree branches, the boys were just out of sight of the camp. They would start things and hopefully, Lee would be able to finish them. Hopefully.

Having taken care of Leo, Lee moved back close to the outhouse and glanced at his watch. In just a couple of moments he should hear…

"SHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! SHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! SHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Lee grinned as the boys loudly blew the whistles from their places all around the camp then started shining their flashlights all around the area. The results were what he expected the men in the camp stopped what they were doing and stood, turning around and around trying to figure out what was going on.

While three boys continued to blow on the whistles, Freddie, now joined by Timmy, was banging hard on the tin mess kit he'd had in his pack, as they scampered through the woods, never stopping. The idea was to give the impression that they were many more in number than they were. In that, they were doing an excellent job.

Rainey's men were now showing alarm as they quickly reached for their weapons and began to move towards the woods. Lee stepped back behind a tree when one of them came close to him and as soon as the man walked past, Lee dropped him with a chop to his neck. He decided not to take the time to tie that one up as he saw another moving in just a few yards away. That one was tougher but Lee managed to plant him on his face as well.

With the way to the cabin clear, Lee hurriedly moved in.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Amanda cringed when Deacon Rainey cupped her breast as he bent down, planting his lips on hers. Though tightly bound, Amanda still struggled, wanting desperately to get away from this man's assault.

"Relax, honey." Deacon said as he moved his mouth down to her neck. "You just might like me."

"No." Amanda shook her head as she jerked sideways trying to evade his mouth. "Leave me alone."

Deacon ignored her pleas and reached for her shirt when suddenly a clamor rose from outside, causing him to stop his assault and turn his head towards the door. "What the he…"

Quickly going over to the door, he cracked it open and looked outside. He saw his men, weapons shouldered, heading out to the surrounding woods. Watching them for a moment he considered grabbing his own gun and following suit. But a glance back at Amanda, decided the question for him. Whatever it was, he was certain his men could take care of it. He had something more important to do.

"Whatever it is, my boy's'll take care of it." He grunted as he moved back to Amanda. "Now, where were we." Reaching down, he grabbed Amanda's arm and pulled her to her feet. "We're gonna have to get you comfortable." Dragging her by the arm, he maneuvered her to a small cot, set up in the corner, and pushed her back onto it. "I'm gonna enjoy this."

Bending down over her, he reached out to grab her blouse again when the door suddenly burst open and Lee threw himself inside, gun up and ready to fire. When he saw Deacon bending over a prostrate Amanda, fury instantly overtook him. He didn't even think of using his gun. Instead he dropped the weapon and threw himself at Rainey, landing on him before Deacon could even comprehend what was happening.

Both men went to the floor, exchanging punches while Amanda rolled around frantically on the bed, trying to free herself. "Lee!" She cried out when she finally managed to sit up. But Lee was too engaged in warfare to be able to help her. So engaged, in fact, that he didn't see the man behind him until it was almost too late.

"Lee, behind you!" Amanda yelled out.

Removing his hands from Deacon Rainey's throat, Lee grabbed his lapels and then rolled with him, placing Rainey between himself the bullet that was just fired by one of Rainey's men. Before the man realized what he'd done, Lee had already pushed Rainey away and jumped to his feet, kicking the man in the knee and then delivering a heavy right to his jaw when he knelt to grasp his knee. He fell like a ton of bricks.

Instantly, Lee whirled around and grabbed Amanda as she struggled to get to her feet. "You okay? Are you alright?"

Amanda could see the concern and worry for her in his eyes for just a moment, she half expected him to kiss her but he held himself back waiting for her reply. "I'm… I'm alright." She nodded. "What about the boys?"

Lee stiffened. He'd been so concentrated on getting her out, he'd not thought of the five boys in the woods trying to deal with 6 armed men. "Come on." He said as he quickly untied her and then grabbed her hand. The plan he and the boys had devised, should have kept the boys safe and undetected. But he wasn't sure the boys followed his plan.

Lee and Amanda hurried to the door and paused only long enough to see if anyone was about before they ran outside and through the clearing to the surrounding woods. Lee had no idea where they could be and the boys had ceased to make noise of any kind.

"Lee? Where are my boys?" Amanda practically demanded.

"We're right here, Mom." Jamie spoke from behind her.

Lee and Amanda both turned around but they saw nothing.

"Jamie? Phillip?" Mystified, she turned to Lee who was as baffled by it as she was. "Lee…"

"We're up here, Mom." That was Phillip and his voice was most definitely coming from above.

Lee and Amanda both looked up to see 3 boys with proud grins on their beaming faces looking down at them and two more coming out from behind the trees. "Oh my gosh." Amanda grinned. "Oh my… oh, wait." She turned back to Lee. "There's more men out here, Lee. We've got to…"

"No we don't." Phillip dropped out of the tree he'd been sitting in and got up, wiping the dust from his pants. "We got those other men, mister. Oh, and, uh…" he reached into his back pocket and handed Lee, Leo's handgun. "You dropped this so I picked it up. It helped when we were tying them up." He looked apologetically at his mother. "Sorry, Mom. But we really had to use it."

Amanda shook her head with a smile as she stepped over and embraced her son. "That's alright, this time, Sweetheart. It's okay."

When the rest of the boys came down from the high tree limbs they'd been perched in, Lee frowned at them. "You boys said you got the rest of the men?" He tried not to sound as skeptical as he was.

"Yeah." Jake answered smugly. "We jumped em."

"We sure did." Jamie agreed.

"Yeah." The rest of the boys nodded in agreement.

"Uh, care to show me?" Lee asked.

Nodding, the boys led Lee and Amanda to another area, not far away. There they found the remaining men, leaning against trees with their hands tied behind their backs.

Lee was amazed. "You did this all by yourselves?"

"Uh, uh." Freddie chimed in. "It was easy."

"It was?" Amanda questioned.

"Yep, we just waited until they were under us and then dropped down on em." Jake bragged with a grin. "Well, all but Freddie and Timmy. They stayed on the ground and hit the men when he landed on em." He looked at Amanda. "Just like you showed us, Mrs. King."

Amanda shook her. "Well, I brought you boys up here to teach you something, I guess I did."

Lee around at the six men captured by 5 little boys and laughed. "Yeah, I guess you did." He stopped when she looked up at him and for just a moment, he came close to pulling her into his arms and kissing her. But 6 men and 5 boys staring at them, put an end to that. Instead, he clapped her on the shoulder. "Let's see what we can do about getting out of here. What do you say."

While the boys cheered the idea, Amanda nodded, knowing something had just slipped past her but not what.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Epilogue

A little over a week later, Amanda sat quietly in her den, sipping a cup of tea and trying in vain to read the latest romance novel she'd picked up but her mind wasn't on it. Instead, she was reliving her hiking trip. It was scary and rough and tiring and yet there was the same excitement she always felt when working with Lee. Excitement and…

Taking a deep breath, she stopped herself from going any further. 'There is nothing between me and Lee but friendship.' She silently reminded herself as she got up and went into the kitchen to pour herself some more tea.

She had just put the kettle down when there was a tap at her kitchen window, causing her to jump slightly. Turning, she saw Lee smiling at her. Quickly, she put the tea down and hurried outside. "Lee? Hi. What are you doing here?"

"Hi there." His smile widened when she stepped out to meet him. "I just came to check on you. How are you doing?" He gently lifted her chin and looked at the fading bruise on her chin.

"Me? Oh, I'm fine." She answered, tugging her chin away.

Lee nodded. "Well, after that trip up in the mountains and all, I just…"

"I'm fine, Lee." She quickly reassured him. "He… he didn't hurt me, not really. You stopped him before he could."

Lee took a step closer to her. "I'm awfully glad about that, Amanda. You know, I care about you and I…" he took another step closer and placed his hands on her upper arms. "I don't ever want to see you hurt."

Amanda swallowed hard. "You… you care about me?"

"Well… yeah." Lee shrugged. "You know, as my partner and more importantly my friend and I… well, I don't want my friends hurt."

Amanda nodded, trying not to show her disappointment at the word 'friend.' "I understand, Lee."

"Good." Lee let out the breath he'd been holding. He seriously wanted to kiss her right then. "So… uh, how are the boys. They… uh, they all doing okay?"

"Oh, yeah." Amanda nodded. "They've talked all week about how they helped take down a gang of criminals."

"You, uh, didn't tell them who I am, did you?" He couldn't imagine she would but…

"Of, course, not, Lee." Amanda shook her head at him. "I told him you were a film maker working on a documentary and just happened to be in the same area we were."

"You did?" Lee sounded skeptical. "And uh, what did you tell them about me having a gun and you knowing me?"

Amanda shrugged, looking down. "I told them you were just a really cautious man, so you always carried a gun when you were out like that. And I told them that we had met once when I applied at the film company that you worked at. I told them all those men were really actors that you'd hired for a documentary on mountain bandits and that they just carried away with their roles." She looked up at Lee. "It was the only thing I could think to tell them. They decided for themselves that Rainey and that other man were probably just the best of the actors for playing dead so long."

"Did they buy that?" God she had the prettiest eyes, he thought.

Amanda nodded. "They did and thought it was even cooler that you worked for a film company than everything else you did. Of course, they wanted to brag to their friends that they took part in a documentary, but I told them all they couldn't. I even made them take a scout oath never to reveal to anyone what happened up there."

With a tick of his head, Lee grinned. "A scout oath?"

"Yeah." Amanda nodded. "I made that up but they bought it."

Lee chuckled. "Well, that's something I guess. How about your mother? What did you tell her?"

Amanda shrugged, "The same thing. She wasn't quite as willing to buy everything, but she knows me well enough to know that I'm not going to tell her anything more, so she accepted it."

"Good." Lee brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. "You, uh… you sure you're okay? I mean, I know he didn't do what he was planning on… doing but…"

"I was scared, Lee." Amanda finally admitted. "I… thought he was…" She dropped her head, willing herself not to cry as she remembered the man's hands and lips on her.

Instinctively, Lee pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. "I know." He said simply. "I know, and I wish like anything I could've prevented that. If I could've…"

"But you did, Lee." Amanda pulled back just a little so as to not leave his arms but so that she could look up at him in complete adoration. "You did prevent it. At least the worst of his plans. You saved me from him. And you probably saved a whole lot of other people too."

"Well," Lee shrugged, happy with the look she was giving him but uncharacteristically, not completely happy with the praise. "I didn't take him down, all by myself, you know. It was his own man that shot him."

"Uh, huh. But it would've been you that he shot if you hadn't acted so quickly." She reminded him.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have been able to do that, if you hadn't of called out like you did." He reminded her.

"Yeah, but if…"

"Amanda." Lee gently silenced her. "It doesn't make a difference who did what. It's over with. Deacon Rainey is dead, and except for the one I shot, his men will all be in jail for a long time."

Amanda heard what he said but being so close to him as he held her like that, was taking the most of her attention. She could feel him pulling her closer and instinctively, she raised her head and her lips toward his. Lee did the same, deciding to forget the rules about her being only a partner for just this once. He only focused on the woman in his arms and…

"AMANDA? Amanda? Where are you?"

The sound of Dottie's voice had the effect of ice cold water being thrown on the both of them. Instantly, they jumped apart as though being that close to each had burned them. Later on, as he drove home alone, Lee would reflect on that thought, a lot. But right then, he simply nodded at Amanda and disappeared quickly from the back yard.

"Amanda?" Dottie appeared in the doorway. "What on earth are you doing out here? It's awfully chilly out, don't you think?"

"Uh, no." Amanda stared at the spot that Lee had been in for a moment longer before turning back to her mother. "Not really, Mother. Seems kind of nice to me."

"Nice?" Dottie's brows rose to her hairline. "Amanda, it's damp and chilly out here. Now, after last week, I should think you'd had enough of risking your health and life."

"Mother," Amanda shook her head disparagingly as she followed her mother inside. "I wasn't risking anything by being out in the back yard."

"You were too." Dottie declared as she headed for the stairs. "You were risking catching something." She sighed and paused on the bottom step. "Amanda, you just never know what you could've gotten in that yard tonight."

Amanda swallowed hard as she glanced through the window to the empty back yard. "Yeah," she sighed to herself. "You never know."

END


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